Norwalk baseball holds off McMahon 5-4 in annual city matchup

By TOM EVANSHour Staff Writer

Published 6:03 pm, Monday, April 8, 2013

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Hour photo/Matthew Vinci

Norwalk second baseman Dave Balunek, top, tags the bag to force Edwin Owolo of Brien McMahon at second during Monday's clash of the crosstown rivals at the BMHS diamond. The visiting Bears held on for a 5-4 victory.

NORWALK -- In a game with plenty of mistakes on both sides, the Norwalk High School baseball team overcame theirs a little better and held off Brien McMahon in the annual crosstown clash of FCIAC rivals on Monday afternoon at the Senators' home field.

Sean Butler battled through some early trouble to earn the complete-game victory on the mound for the Bears (2-2) and raise his record to 2-0.

Butler allowed four runs, just one earned, on four hits, with six walks and two strikeouts. He also helped himself at the plate, delivering a two-out, two-run single in Norwalk's three-run fifth inning.

"This feels really good," Butler said. "I've been dreaming of pitching in this game for a really long time. (After the early struggles) we just had to keep on going, keep on pushing. We know our bats will come alive. In the sixth inning I thought (head coach Pete Tucci) was coming out to take me out, and I told him I wanted to stay in the game. He was just calming me down."

Center fielder Ricky Liscio led off the game for the Bears with a double to left-center field, and catcher Ryan Evans followed with a bloop hit to left, putting runners on the corners.

McMahon (2-2) answered with two runs in the bottom of the first inning. Losing pitcher Mark Ballard (1-1, five runs, three earned, 10 hits, three walks, four strikeouts) reached on an error, and took second on an errant pickoff attempt.

After a ground out that moved Ballard to third base, catcher Mike Giordano walked, and center fielder Andrew Seiden followed with a run-scoring single to left field.

Following a fly out, shortstop Alex Valenzano reached on an infield miscue to load the bases, and left fielder Matt Downey drew a base on balls to drive in Giordano that put the Senators ahead 2-1.

"This game had a lot of errors, and there was sloppy play by both teams," said McMahon head coach John Cross. "Give (Butler) credit, he battled. Mark pitched OK, and if we fielded better we win the game. Any time you give a team extra pitches and extra outs it's trouble. We had experienced players not doing things we preach in practice. High school kids need to go get the ball, not let it come to them. That's when errors happen."

That score held until the home half of the third when Seiden drew a one-out walk, stole second easily when a pitch got past Evans, and scored on a base hit to center from designated hitter Paul Salata.

Ballard pitched around a walk to Butler and right fielder Jared Smith's base hit in the fourth. The top of the order broke through an inning later.

Liscio and Evans reached on consecutive infield errors, and following a strike out of Balunek, third baseman Tristan Opdahl legged out an infield hit to load the bases.

Designated hitter Sean Welch fanned before Butler grounded a single under Alex Scallion's glove at third, and Liscio and Evans raced home. Smith plated Opdahl with a bouncing single up the middle, and Norwalk suddenly had a 4-3 lead.

"I was struggling with my pitches a little bit," Ballard said. "We made a couple errors, and it goes downhill from there. They hit the ball when it was over the plate. I tried to hit the corners, but I left too many (pitches) over the plate. We all know each other. We're friends, but we want to beat each other."

Butler was more relieved than impressed at his clutch hit.

"I had two strikes, and Mark's a really good pitcher," Butler said. "I got lucky and it went through a hole."

The Bears added a crucial insurance run in the sixth when Evans singled to right, Balunek beat out an infield hit, Opdahl drew a free pass, and Welch drove Downey to the fence for a sacrifice fly and a 5-3 advantage.

McMahon did nothing with two baserunners in the bottom of that inning, but refused to go away in the home seventh.

First baseman Keegan Roberts singled to left and stole second. A Giordano fielder's choice sent pich runner Latrell Johnson to third, and a throwing error let Johnson scamper home, cutting the margin to 5-4.

Seiden walked. Salata then appeared to find an opening with a pop up, but shortstop Chris Cotaling made a diving, tumbling catch going toward the left field line. Cotaling hauled in a routine pop fly to end the game.

"I can't draw, but it looked like a masterpiece afterwards," Tucci said. "Sean Butler battles in any sport he plays. That's all you can ask from any player in any sport at any level. He said to me in the sixth, 'please don't take me out,' and I had no intention of taking him out. But that says a lot about what kind of competitor he is. That was a great play by Chris in the hole. I hit for him today, and he didn't sulk. Errors are a part of the game, but it's what you do after an error that matters. We still had five errors and six walks today, so I don't know what this win means (going forward)."